Wish I Had An Angel
by Kasek
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto holds a secret that few know about- he's really an angel. He doesn't know where he comes from, or why, but he does know that he wants to help people. And so, he becomes a ninja- an angel of death, in order to help his village. Pairings TBD
1. Chapter 1

**Kasek: **A non-crossover! FINALLY! I'm always writing about demons and Hollows and demonic fruit, and stuff. So, yeah, I got this idea in my head, for something slightly different, and now it won't go away. So, I'm gonna test it out a bit. Also, I guess I should warn in advance that this is going to be, like, Smart!Naruto and may even venture into Super!Naruto territory, though I'll try to avoid it as best as I can.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

It was approaching night-time in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. A brown-haired, brown-eyed boy, around 12 years old, was standing in front of a door. Said door was open, and standing in the doorway was an old woman, so old that she needed a cane to walk. "Thank you for helping with my groceries again, Tenshi. You're such a good help, just like always."

'Tenshi' gave a soft smile. "It's no problem, ma'am. I love helping people out."

The old lady smiled as she looked at Tenshi. "Still, it's nice to know that there are people like you in this world... I have the perfect thing for you. Here's a coupon for a free bowl of miso ramen at Ichiraku's; I know how much you love that place."

Tenshi's smile widened a little. "Really? You don't mind giving it to me?"

The old lady shook her head. "Of course not. I don't eat there anymore, and you've worked hard. You've earned it."

Tenshi carefully took the paper and placed it in his pocket. "Thank you, ma'am!"

She nodded as she smiled. "You be careful on your way home, alright? It's getting dark..."

Tenshi nodded gratefully. "Thank you for the concern. I'm almost a ninja now, but you never know who you're going to run into in a village where the impossible happens everyday."

As Tenshi walked away, he hummed to himself. It was a slow tune, that mostly went up and down the same four notes, though it went up two more at one point. His white cloak fluttered around him, concealing his white, long-sleeved t-shirt with an orange spiral on the front and blue jeans. He held out a brown-gloved hand in front of him, and balled it into a fist as he looked at the darkening sky. His stomach growled, and he blushed- it looked like he was going to spend that coupon rather quickly.

As he walked into the small restaurant and got on one of the stools, the owner, Teuchi, spared a glance, and smiled. "Ah, Na- Tenshi. What can I get you?"

Tenshi pulled out the coupon. "Ah... I've got a coupon for a bowl of miso ramen."

Teuchi smirked. "Heh. One free bowl of miso ramen, coming up. You going to order anthing else?"

Tenshi shook his head. "No... one bowl is more than enough for me."

Teuchi nodded in understanding. "You never eat much... I'm surprised you're so healthy, Tenshi."

Tenshi blushed, and scratched the back of his head. "Ehe... I guess I'm just lucky like that."

After Tenshi finished his meal, he gratefully bowed to Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, and left to go home. Before he got there, however, he ducked into an alley, and made a one-handed handseal. A moment later, and his hair changed color from brown to blond, his hair spiked up, and his eyes changed colors from brown to blue. 'Tenshi' sighed in relief. "It's getting easier to hold up that transformation..."

You see, Tenshi is not really Tenshi- instead, he is Uzumaki Naruto, an orphan boy living in the Leaf village by himself. He has always liked helping people, but they almost never let him help them. He then went to the ninja academy as an extension of wanting to help people, and had learned the transformation technique. Using it, he had forged the identity of Tenshi so he could help people. With school and going home being the sole exceptions, he went everywhere as Tenshi. Life was a lot easier as someone else.

He was actually a bit surprised that no one had figured it out- both Naruto and Tenshi wore the same clothes, after all. Then again, he didn't really hang around the people from the Academy as Tenshi- he had probably met a fellow student as Tenshi once or twice. That said, he never really hung out with _anybody_ as Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto was a social outcast- sure, he was nice (though he was too humble to admit it, probably the nicest kid at the Academy). Sure, he was smart (he would not _deny_ being top of the class, but he wouldn't bring it up, either). But the other students just didnt seem to like him. It wasn't as if he hadn't made conscious efforts to make friends- but most people tended to ignore him. It wasn't that way at first- some people had actually been friends with him. But, sooner or later, they all turned from him. The only person who still was willing to talk with him was Hyuuga Hinata, and that was if he initiated the conversation. Even then, she was quiet, and would end conversations at the first opportunity, which she did with everybody.

He sighed as he entered his apartment. Tomorrow would be the day he would take the exams to become a ninja- he had no doubts that he would pass, but... he sighed as he hung up his cloak, and he let his white wings flap a bit. But... he was wondering if somebody like him should be a ninja in the first place. After all, he was an angel... should someone like that be a dealer of death?

**Kasek: **Short first chapter. Just gauging reader reaction and such.

Unlike my other stories, I think I might actually pursue a pairing in this fic (my other fics have hints of pairings, but it has yet to go anywhere). So, would you guys want NaruHina, NaruFemHaku, or what? Any _straight_ pairing is accepted (I might even consider NaruFemSasu! Nah, kidding. I prefer SasuFemNaru, myself).


	2. Chapter 2

**Kasek: **So, uh, yeah. Hi.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Naruto sighed as he sat in his seat in the far back corner of the Academy room. He had decided to arrive slightly early, so he wouldn't have to push past anybody to get to his seat. Soon enough, children streamed in, and took their respective seats. The seat next to Naruto himself was empty, but the person in the chair next to that was Hinata. He guessed that she wanted to separate herself from her classmates, but not enough to force herself to socialize with him.

After everyone had come in, their brown-haired, scar-nosed sensei, Iruka, followed by the silver-haired Mizuki, came into the room as well. Iruka was Naruto's favorite teacher- Iruka was nice to him, and treated Naruto like other people treated Tenshi. Iruka took his position at the front of the room. "Alright, class. It's time for the final examinations. When I call your name, please come into the next room. First up is Aburame Shino."

Naruto watched the said boy, with his high-collared coat and sunglasses, get up and follow Iruka and Mizuki into the next room. Shino was another person who had never turned away from him- but then again he had never quite been on his side in the first place, either. The boy kept to himself at all times.

Eventually, it got down to 'Uchiha Sasuke'. Naruto watched him with mild interest as he got up from a few seats in front of Naruto himself. Naruto felt sorry for the young orphan- his whole family had been murdered a few years back. Naruto had tried being friends with him, too, but he pushed everybody away.

After Sasuke, it was Naruto's turn. First up was the Ninjutsu test- he had to show that he could perform the henge no jutsu and the kawarimi no jutsu. First thing, Naruto transformed into the Sandaime Hokage, which resulted in an A for him- it was much harder to transform into somebody who wasn't there than somebody who was. Then, he showed that he was amply good with kawarimi by switching with one of the teachers.

After that, he was supposed to show he was accurate with both shuriken and kunai, which he did quite well- a bull's eye on the target both times. Next was a taijutsu test- to show how well he did in a fist-fight. He was paired off with Mizuki, and Naruto could immediately tell that he wasn't going to go easy on him. Naruto, however, did remarkably well- he seemed to flow around Mizuki's attacks, and for nearly every hit that Mizuki attempted to make, there was a counterattack made by Naruto that connected. Naruto felt that he had to hold back, though, as he didn't want to injure his sensei. That was a mistake- he would find out later that he would be marked off a couple of points for that, though not enough for him to not get an A.

Finally, he was to perform the bunshin no jutsu. He quickly created five, perfect clones. The teachers had no choice but to give him an A, as most other people had created three.

Iruka smiled. "Congratulations, Naruto. You pass with flying colors." He held up a hitai-ate for Naruto to take. "I'm proud of you."

Naruto gave his own gentle smile. "Thank you... Iruka-sensei."

Iruka nodded, and smirked as Naruto took the piece of cloth and metal and tied it around his forehead. "I see a great career ahead of you, Naruto. Come back and visit sometime, alright?"

Naruto gave his own gentle nod as he walked to the exit of the room, humming his tune again. Soon, he found himself at the entrance/exit of the Academy, where all of the new Genin were being congratulated by their parents. Naruto's smile faltered as he stopped humming, and he slowly walked through the crowd, receiving the occasional glare from parents, and once or twice even from the children. This was why he... _disliked_ being Uzumaki Naruto (he wouldn't say hate, he thought hate was too strong a word for someone like him to be using). He was alone in the world. No family, no friends. The only people who accepted Naruto were the Hokage, Iruka, Teuchi, and Ayame. Even then, Teuchi and Ayame were the only ones that knew about his connection with Tenshi.

As he was walking away, he heard some whispers from the crowd. "Ugh! That _thing_ became a ninja?" "What were those teachers thinking? That thing is going to learn how to kill us all!"

Naruto was no stranger to being called things such as 'monster', 'murderer', and 'demon' behind his back. He never found out _why_, but he knew better than to ask. He sighed as he walked home. It looked like things would only get harder from here.

--  
Naruto was again walking around as Tenshi. People waved at him; people _smiled _at him. He didn't care that he was living a lie; this lie was so much better than the truth. Besides, it was a little, white lie- little white lies never hurt anyone, right?

After he had had dinner at Ichiraku's again, he left to go into the forest for some training. Extra training never hurt anyone, after all (as far as he was aware, at any rate). He soon arrived at his usual training ground- the front yard of some abandoned shack in the woods. There, he practiced his taijutsu katas as well as he could. He needed to be perfect if he was going to be a good ninja.

It was starting to get very late when Naruto (who had been in his Tenshi form the entire time, to work on his chakra stamina) was interrupted by someone bursting into the clearing. It was a man who was dressed in the normal uniform for Chuunin and Jonin, a mask over the lower half of his face and a bandana on top of his head, obscuring most of his silver hair. He was carrying a large scroll on his back. Naruto noted that he was bleeding from his side. Naruto ran up to him. "Hey, are you alright? You're bleeding!"

The man coughed, before looking at Naruto. "Who... are you?"

Naruto was about to answer 'Naruto', but then remembered that his henge was up. "I'm Tenshi. I'm a Genin."

The man looked him up and down. "You seem familiar... bah. Look, see this scroll? I _have_ to get this to Training Ground 15. Do you know where that is?" Naruto nodded. It was a training ground he had used himself on occasion as it was never used by anyone else. It actually wasn't very far. "Good. Take this scroll, and get there. They're after me, they won't go after you if you take it."

Naruto looked at it as the man took the scroll off of his back. "Who are 'they'?"

The man seemed to think for a moment. "'They' are a faction of ninja opposed to the Hokage who want this scroll of forbidden jutsus for themselves. I was assigned to transport it, and hand it off to the next guy in the chain. But... they attacked me. I was lucky to get away, but I may not do so again."

Naruto nodded as he placed the strap on the scroll aroud his arm. "Don't worry, I'm a lot better than most Genin. I'll have it to the next guy in no time."

The man chuckled. "I certainly hope so... now go! I'll try to lead them away!" The man disappeared, and Naruto, too, began running towards Training Ground 15, the scroll pressing hard against his wings that were underneath the cloak. He jumpeed into the trees, and jumped from tree to tree- he assumed it to be faster, and it would be harder tod etect him if he was above the others. It didn't take long, however, for a ninja to appear in front of him. Naruto recognized him as an Academy instructor- a Chunin.

He growled as he faced Naruto. "Why you-! Hand over the scroll if you want to live!"

Naruto grit his teeth. "I won't do it. I made a commitment to get this scroll delivered, and that's what I'm going to do." He dashed at his opponent, who seemed surprised by his speed. The man took out a kunai and made to slash Naruto with it, but Naruto avoided it, elbowed the guy in the stomach as he landed on the thick branch, and then thrust a palm into his chin, sending him flying. Naruto hoped he didn't kill the man- it was a long way down. This was it- this was the real deal. This is what he'd have to face as a ninja. Naruto hadn't expected to be thrust into it so soon, but...

As Naruto advanced, he came across another ninja- this one seemingly more talented than the other. Naruto charged this one just like he had the last one, but this one diverted his strikes, making sure not to actually take a direct hit. Eventually, Naruto slipped through his guard and thrust an open palm into his stomach, sending him flying into a tree, and then he fell down to the ground.

Right as he was about to get to Training Ground 15, he was interrpted yet again- this time, Naruto's breath caught in his throat when he saw who it was. "I-Iruka...sensei..."

Iruka grit his teeth as he glared at his opponent. "I don't know who you are, but I am no sensei of _yours_. Hand over the scroll, and you might get off with your life."

Naruto placed his hand on the strap over his chest. "No... I was told to deliver this scroll. It was entrusted to me by a shinobi of Konoha. I will not hand it to a villain like you!" Naruto took out a kunai, and charged his former sensei. Their kunai clashed, and as Naruto struggled to get the upper hand, Iruka growled. "_I'm _the villain? You're the one who stole the scroll from the Hokage! Give it _back_, you little thief!"

Naruto's breath hitched, and his strength was gone from his limbs. Iruka knocked aside his kunai, and kicked him in the chest, sending him to the forest floor below. Naruto snapped out of it, and grit his teeth. He didn't like having to show them, but hey, he was Tenshi right now, not Naruto. He spread his wings, a little hard to do with both the cloak and the scroll on his back, but it was enough. He flapped them, stopping his descent before he hit the ground. He just stood there, waiting for Iruka to come down. When Iruka did come down, Naruto looked towards the ground. "....I don't know... who to believe any more..."

Iruka was confused. "Huh?"

Naruto tugged on the strap of the scroll. "...to believe the man who was willing to distract others with his life so I could deliver this safely, or to believe one of the only people who's ever been nice to me..."

Iruka's eyes widened. "...your clothes... now that I take a good look at you... Naruto, is that... you?"

Naruto winced, but nodded, letting his henge fade. "...yeah. It's me."

Iruka breathed in a little. "...why would you do something like this, Naruto? I thought you weren't like that..."

Naruto looked his sensei in the eyes. "I'm not! I met a man in the woods, who had this scroll. He was injured, and... he entrusted it to me. He told me that the scroll was being transported, and he was attacked. I told him I would get the scroll to the next guy in the chain..."

Iruka walked over to Naruto, and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, where's the next guy in the chain?" Naruto was silent as he averted his eyes. Iruka tightened his grip slightly, not enough to pain Naruto, but it was still noticeable. "Naruto. Your career as a ninja is hanging in the balance over this. If you don't cooperate... I'm afraid I'll have to charge you with aiding and abetting a criminal. And I don't want that for you, you just became a Genin."

Naruto sighed. "Training Ground 15. That's... where he told me to go."

Iruka smiled. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it? Here, give me the scroll."

Naruto looked at the ground, and nodded. He took it off of his back, and handed it to Iruka. Right after he did so, several ninja appeared in the clearing. One growled, his short, spiky white hair glistening in the moonlight, and took a step forward. "What? _That_ brat is responsible for all this? I knew it, he's nothing but trouble!" There were nods of assent from the other ninja.

Iruka stepped between him and Naruto. "No! He... the real culprit tricked him into being an accomplice! I explained the real situation to him, and he handed over the scroll! More importantly, he's told me that the criminal's accomplice is in Training Ground 15! You guys go ahead, I'll take Naruto back to the Hokage!"

They grumbled, but they couldn't really come up with something to argue with him about. The white haired one sneered. "You got off lucky this time, brat. But if you ever step out of line for real..." He traced his finger along his throat, presumable indicating where his knife would go. He left, and the others quickly followed.

Iruka sighed. "...come on, Naruto. We need to get this scroll back to the Hokage." Naruto nodded, and silently fell in line behind Iruka as they jumped through the trees.

--

Mizuki swore as he tried to bandage his wound. _Feh, wonder if that kid's been captured by now... doesn't matter to me. There was no one at that meeting place, I just needed somebody to get those guys off of my back._

--

Naruto shifted his weight from foot to foot as he nearly withered under the gaze of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the wizened old Sandaime Hokage. Hiruzen sighed as he looked at the scroll by his desk. "Naruto. Do you realize what you've done?"

Naruto gulped. "Not entirely, Hokage-sama."

Said Hokage sighed again as he let smoke come out of the pipe in his mouth. "...you aided a criminal, and attacked three Konoha Chuunin, defeating two of them." Naruto flinched, but he didn't say anything. "I have only one thing to say about this..." Naruto held his breath. "...I'm impressed." Naruto's expression said he was bewildered, if nothing else. He let go of his breath.

"E-excuse me, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen had a grin on his face. "You were willing to face people who were of higher rank and experience than you in order to carry out the mission that you had been given, and showed that you are not somebody to be trifled with. I cannot charge you with a crime for doing what you were told by a higher authority, now can I?"

Naruto looked to the ground, blushing. "Well, I, um... thank you, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen chuckled. "You're welcome. You know... hmm. I wonder... I have been told that you have an excessive amount of chakra, nearly double, if not triple of what my Jonin have..."

Naruto was confused. "Hokage-sama?"

The next part was mumbled so that only Hiruzen himself could hear it. "...and his mother used that jutsu a lot, too..." He looked Naruto in the eyes. "Naruto, I've decided- I'm going to let you learn a technique from this scroll."

Naruto was nearly speechless. "H-Hokage-sama! Aren't they... forbidden?"

Hiruzen smirked at Naruto's reaction. "Under normal circumstances, yes. But, you are far from normal, Uzumaki Naruto. It's a useful technique, to be sure. Most people just can't use it due to the amount of chakra it expends, and you of all people don't have to worry about chakra exhaustion."

Naruto bowed. "....thank you, Hokage-sama."

He chuckled at Naruto. "You are most welcome. Now, , anyways, it's called the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Here is how you do it..."

**Kasek: **New chapter, yeys. I should really work on KKnM, but I have writer's block when it comes to that right now...

I think it's obvious by now that this is Smart!Naruto, and may gravitate to lesser Super!Naruto later on. I should put a warning in the first chapter.

As for the pairings- I'm actually thinking I might gravitate towards a harem. I can see most girls falling for this Naruto once they get to know him. I won't get too serious with any one pairing, I don't think (because that's just not my style), but still. Plus, I just happen to like a lot of Naru/girl pairings (NaruTen, NaruTayu, NaruIno, NaruFemHaku and of course, NaruSaku and NaruHina, the last of which I think I'll avoid for this fic). Tell me what you think. ......now that I think about it, I think I might keep it just NaruFemHaku.... but still, just throwing it out there that I wouldn't mind attempting a harem fic.

So far for pairing votes: Two for NaruHina (and one against, for a total of +1), three for NaruFemHaku, one for NaruTen, and one against NaruSaku. Again, let me know if you'd like to see it as a harem or not, cause otherwise Haku's gonna keep Naruto to herself.

Also, just from this chapter to the next, I want to see if you object to my preferred team of NaruSasuHina. Especially since I think I'm gonna gravitate towards SasuHina! NaruHina fans, beware! ...that's the third time I used the word gravitate. Hmm.

I know I should really do this with all of my fics, but I don't for some reason. Anyways, here's a what's what of different techniques if, for some reason, you happen not to be familiar with them.

**Jutsu list: **Kawarimi: Substitution; Bunshin: Clone; Henge: Transformation; Kage Bunshin: Shadow Clone

**Terms: **Sandaime Hokage: Third Hokage; hitai-ate: forehead protector


	3. Chapter 3

**Kasek:** Okay, I think I have the way the pairings are going to work. It's going to be a one-sided harem thing- the girls will like Naruto, but Naruto will not return their affections. However, he will be more inclined to react to Haku, since people seem to like the idea so much... how I go about doing this will be my business, however ;p Also, so many people are hating on NaruSaku right now. It's kind of funny. Anyways, I guess that there will be no NaruSaku. I just don't see her falling for a guy like him. No NaruHina either, cause I want to do something different than that for once. Sorry guys. ...now that I think about it, why am I consulting with the readers again? It's takes some of the fun out of it if you set the pairing in advance.

You know what? I may very well just scrap pairings altogether. Leave a tiny bit of SasuHina here and there, and leave it at that. It would certainly save me a ton of trouble. Well, I'll write some more and see how I feel on the matter.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

--

Naruto sighed as he sat in the far corner of the Academy room. He felt blessed, to be sure, that he had gotten away not just without reprimand, but with a new technique, as well. The Sandaime assured him that, with time, it was very possible he could become the most skilled clone user in the world, due to his unnaturally large chakra reserves. He kind of liked the sound of that- 'most skilled' meant that he would be able to protect others very easily.

He thought about what had happened the day before today (which was the day after he had nearly been marked a traitor). After he had gotten his ID photo taken, he had then taken his ID to the Hokage for approval. As he sat before the old ninja, a little boy had burst through the door (who had turned out to be the Hokage's grandson, Konohamaru), and tried to assassinate him... only to trip on his unusually long scarf before he could cross the room. His teacher, Ebisu, had burst in after him, offering apologies to the Hokage. Konohamaru got up, and immediately blamed Naruto for tripping him. Naruto had told him, while he was sympathetic with the boy for his supposed injury, that he had had no role in tripping him. Konohamaru glared at him, said he 'hated smooth talkers', and declared Naruto his enemy.

He had then followed Naruto around, trying to glean as many secrets about Naruto as he could. He was rather unsuccessful, as Naruto had gotten out of his view and then shifted to Tenshi. Konohamaru had, of course, accused Tenshi of being Naruto (Naruto supposed the boy was smarter than he looked), but after Tenshi explained it as mere coincidence that they wore the same clothes, Konohamaru had been disappointed and had gone home. Naruto had decided that he was rather gullible. Perhaps he would play with the boy again some day.

He glanced past Hinata towards the open door, just as Sakura and Ino burst through it. They argued over who had been the first to enter the room, and Naruto could not help but notice that Ino had been the first to enter. Not that he would say it out loud- those two almost seemed to enjoy arguing, and far be it from him to end something that made them happy.

Iruka soon came in, Mizuki by his side. Iruka coughed to gain their attention. "Alright, class- well, I can't call you that anymore, now can I? Beginning today you are all real ninja... but you are still rookie Genin. The hard part has just started. You will soon be assigned duties by the village. So today we will create the three-man teams, each with a Jonin sensei. You will follow that sensei's instructions as you complete your assigned duties. We tried to balance each team's strengths. Here we go- Team One will consist of..."

He listed off the names of the various students who belonged to each team. Eventually, Naruto heard his own name called. "Team Seven will consist of Hyuuga Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto."

Sakura spoke out of line. "Eh?! Why are those two on Sasuke's team?!"

Iruka sighed. "Well, to be honest... Naruto and Sasuke are the number one and number two shinobi of the class, respectively, and Hinata was the bottom kunoichi. It only makes sense to pair the best with the worst." Naruto sighed as he watched Hinata shrink into herself- the girl had no self-esteem whatsoever. He could practically feel Sasuke scowling- he probably didn't like the fact that he was being paired with somebody who was weaker than him, and somebody he felt didn't deserve the top spot of the class. Iruka continued with the roster. "Team Eight will consist of Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino."

Sakura shivered when she realized she was going to be on the same team as Shino, who she thought was a major creep, and then grit her teeth at the thought of Kiba, who she thought was a major annoyance. Ino smirked. "Oh, Sakura, I feel _so_ sorry for you."

Iruka coughed to gain their attention. "Team Nine is still in effect from last year. Team Ten will consist of Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji."

Sakura smirked at Ino in triumph. "Who feels sorry for _who_, now?"

Iruka sighed again, and then put on a strained smile. "Ok, this afternoon we'll introduce the Jonin senseis. Take a break until then."

Mizuki smirked. "Make sure you behave, or we'll have to revoke your Genin status."

Iruka elbowed him in the sides, and Mizuki hissed in pain- not that Iruka noticed. "Ha! You're such a kidder, Mizuki."

The rest of the day was rather uneventful for Naruto. He went out, ate some lunch at home, came back, and then waited in the classroom for his Jonin sensei with the others. Soon, though, everybody had had a Jonin come for them... except Team Seven. Iruka had long left, patting Naruto affectionately on the head as he left. Sasuke was the first to break the long silence that had enveloped the room. "....where _is_ he?"

Naruto sighed. "I... don't know. It's not polite to be late to an important meeting."

Hinata twiddled her fingers. "M-maybe he got sidetracked by something else important?"

Sasuke glanced at her, causing her to shrivel into herself again. "....possibly. I highly doubt it, though."

Hinata sighed in relief when he looked away from her. She didn't like the feeling she got from him- it reminded her of the ways certain others looked at her. She glanced towards Naruto, who was drawing a picture with a pencil. He looked up and looked into her eyes. It was weird- she didn't feel the instinct to look away, like she normally did. He smiled, and went back to drawing. Hinata went back to looking at her desk. Naruto... wasn't as bad as people made him out to be. Perhaps being on this team wouldn't be _so _bad.

Eventually, a head of silver, broom-shaped hair poked through the door. "Ah, sorry I'm late, everyone." The man- a ninja with a mask over the lower half of his face, and his hitai-ate covering his left eye as it laid at an angle- gauged their reactions with his right eye. The Uchiha scowled, but said nothing, while the other two smiled at his presence, and rose from their seats. The man seemed to smile, as indicated by his eye narrowing from the bottom-up. "My first impression... not bad. Let's see if that keeps up. Follow me."

They followed him up to the roof of the building, which had several trees planted in little plots of ground. The man leaned against a railing, while his team sat on the ground. The man's eye swept over them- Naruto seemed relaxed, the paper he had been working on at his side. Hinata seemed a bit nervous, and Sasuke was... being Sasuke, scowling as he had his elbows on his legs, his hands crossed in front of his face. "Ok... let's begin with some introductions."

Naruto gave a slight frown. "It is rude to ask for names without introducing yourself first."

The man shrugged his shoulders. "As you wish. I'll set the standard, then. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes. Well, I have lots of hobbies... Dreams for the future... hmm."

Sasuke's scowl deepened. _All we learned was his name..._

Kakashi glanced at Naruto. "From the right. Go."

Naruto looked up at the sky. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like helping people and eating ramen, and I dislike it when people don't give me a second chance. My hobby is to go out and find people I can help. As for dreams for the future..." His smile widened slightly. "...I wouldn't mind becoming Hokage... then, it would be my job to help people."

Kakashi's face softened a little. _The selfless type, eh? Not exactly ideal shinobi material, but... he __**is**__ top of his class... He's grown in an interesting way. _His eye moved over to Hinata. "Next."

Hinata twiddeled her fingers again as she glanced to the side. "M-my name is Hyuuga Hinata... I like... I dislike..." She seemed highly uncomfortable. That, or she really didn't have likes or dislikes and was just embarrassed about it. "My hobby is pressing flowers. My dream for the future... is to become strong, just like my father wants me to." Kakashi made a mental side-note that this girl was not like other Hyuuga- and that he could use that to his advantage.

"Next."

Sasuke sighed into his hands. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are tons of things I dislike, but I don't really like anything. And... I don't want to use the word, 'dream', but... I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan, and... to kill a certain man."

Kakashi sighed. _I thought so... _"Okay. That's enough of that. We will start our duties tomorrow."

Naruto's interest seemed to be perked. "What kind of duties?"

Kakashi looked towards him. "Well, first... we're going to do something, just the four of us. Survival training."

Naruto tilted his head. "Eh? I thought we would do missions or something. Why training?"

Kakashi kept his eye on Naruto. "Well, I'll be your opponent, but this isn't normal training. Hehehe..."

Hinata decided to speak up. "W-why is it funny?"

Kakashi waved his hand. "No, it's... well... it's just that. When I tell you this, you guys are definitely going to flip."

Hinata gulped. "Fl-flip?"

Kakashi nodded in response. "Of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine will be chosen as Genin. The rest will be sent back to the Academy. This training is a super-difficult exam with a failure rate of over sixty-six percent!" He gauged their reactions- Naruto furrowed his brow, Sasuke narrowed his eyes, and Hinata gulped. "Huh... you guys are taking it better than I thought you would."

Naruto sighed. "All that work... what was graduation for, then?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Well, that's to select those who get the chance to become Genin... tomorrow, you'll be graded on the training field. Bring all of your shinobi tools. Oh, and skip breakfast. You'll throw up." He handed them some pieces of paper. "The details are on this printout. Don't be late tomorrow."

Naruto frowned as he read the paper. He was _not_ looking forward to this... test. He sighed as he heard Sasuke crumple up the paper in his hand. _Well, I guess I should go home and train..._

_--_

Naruto sighed when Kakashi had appeared with a casual 'yo' at quarter past Eleven. "...I thought that ninja ought to be punctual..."

Kakashi chuckled as he took out a small alarm clock and placed it on a stump. "This clock is set for noon." He took out two small bells attached to strings and showed them to the Genin-to-be. "Here are two bells. Your task is to take these from me by noon. Those who fail..." He gestured to three training logs. "...will not only get no lunch, but will be tied to one of those stumps, and I'll eat my lunch in front of you."

All three of their stomachs growled at the same time, and while Naruto and Hinata blushed, Sasuke growled. _So, this is why he told us not to eat..._

Kakashi continued. "You only need to get one bell to pass. There are only two, so one of you is definitely going to be tied to the stump. And... the person who doesn't get a bell will fail, so at least one of you will be sent back to the Academy." He let the words sink in- Hinata seemed to shrink into herself once more, Naruto looked down towards the ground, and Sasuke took a position that indicated he was ready to tear into Kakashi at any moment. "You can even use your shuriken. You won't succeed if you don't come at me with intent to kill."

Hinata's eyes widened. "But... you'll be in danger...!"

Kakashi's eye narrowed in a way that indicated he was smiling. "Oh, you're worried about me? I'm flattered. Anyways, when I say go, we'll begin. Ready...? START!"

As Sasuke and Hinata immediately dashed into the forest to hide themselves, Kakashi couldn't help but stare at Naruto, who stayed where he was. "Umm.. why are you still here?"

Naruto tilted his head. "...you said start, not go. You said we'd begin when you said go."

Kakashi blinked. And then blinked again. Then, he chuckled. After a few chuckles, he outright laughed. "Oh, I needed that... I see you're someone who plays by the rules to the letter. I'm going to have fun with you... alright, then. Go!" Naruto disappeared in an instant. Kakashi swept his eye over the area. _One of the basics of a ninja is to hide well... good, so at least they have that much down._ He ducked when Naruto tried to kick his head from behind. Kakashi immediately turned around and gazed at the Naruto before him. _Hmm? But Naruto's still in the bushes. A clone, then. But which is the real one, I wonder? _

This Naruto immediately launched an assault against Kakashi, attempting to punch and kick at him rapidly. Kakashi had to give him credit- his moves came at an erratic rate, and aimed at various parts of Kakashi's body, making him slightly less predictable than normal. However, to Kakashi, he was moving in slow motion. He pulled out his book and began reading, in an attempt to get a hint of anger from the boy. Naruto frowned as he did another roundhouse kick to Kakashi's head. "...that isn't very polite you know."

Kakashi smiled. "You keep telling me that. Anyways... Ninja fighting lesson #1: Taijutsu. You seem to be pretty good, but... not good enough."

Kakashi blanched when he saw a third shadow at his feet. He jumped to the side as yet another Naruto jumped through the space he had one been in, arms spread wide, intent on catching Kakashi. Kakashi watched as the two Narutos collided, and disappeared into smoke. _...I couldn't even sense him. No killing intent whatsoever. The first clone had run at me, so I could hear that, but... this one was sneaky. How is it possible for him to be intent on attacking me without any hint of it at all?_

Kakashi then disappeared, and reappeared behind the Naruto in the bushes. "Boo."

Naruto looked at him casually. "...you're fast."

Kakashi 'eye-smiled'. "Aren't I? So... you a clone or the real deal?"

Naruto shook his head. "Does it matter too much? Either way, you'll just dodge or block any attacks I make. Is there really much point in directly attacking you other than humiliating ourselves?"

Kakashi chuckled. "No, I can't say there is."

Naruto sighed. as he looked into the ground. "...I see then. I'll make note of that information." 'Naruto' disappeared into a cloud of smoke, and Kakashi blinked. _So, he switched himself out with a clone while I was distracted by the fight... where did he learn this jutsu, and why is he so good with it? _He decided he would look into the mystery of Uzumaki Naruto at a later time, and stepped back out into the open. He blinked as several shuriken embedded themselves into his side... and then, in an explosion of smoke, he turned into a log.

Sasuke swore to himself under his breath. _He showed an opening on purpose! Great, now he knows where I am!_

As Sasuke went to find a new hiding spot, Hinata was running through the bushes. _He's too strong...! If Naruto couldn't even land a hit on him when he had the advantage of numbers, what chance do I have of getting a bell?_ She stopped when she saw sensei in the open with his book. She hid in the bushes, and tried to get a good look at him. She turned around when she heard Kakashi say, "Hinata! Behind you!" Turning around, she saw another Kakashi, his hand in a seal, indicating a jutsu was about to be performed. The wind kicked up, and she found herself in the center of a tornado of leaves. As it cleared, she heard Naruto from behind her. "Hinata... help me..."

She quickly turned around, and regretted it just as quickly- there before her was Naruto, his cape torn to shreds, various kunai and shuriken poking out of him. His left leg was twisted so that his foot was facing completely the wrong way, and his left arm was missing. Hinata ran over to him and tried to examine him with her Byakugan, but when the veins around her eyes bulged, she noticed that Naruto... wasn't there. She breathed a sigh of relief. "It's... only genjutsu..."

Kakashi smiled from his spot in a tree above and a bit of a distance away. _Well, she kind of cheated, but... she __**did**__ figure it out... _He decided to move on to his next target- Sasuke.

Sasuke glanced to his side when he heard a rustle of leaves. Kakashi however, was the in the opposite direction, reading his book. "Your teammates are doing rather well compared to others I've tested... they've passed the test of both lessons #1 and #2. Let's see if you can pass #3 and #4."

Sasuke balled his hands into fists. "...I'm different from them."

Kakashi shook his head. "Oh... so you're a failure then. How disappointing... especially since you're an Uchiha." Sasuke whirled around and threw a shuriken at him. Kakashi jumped to the side to avoid it. "Such obvious attacks are useless, you know..." He realized that the shuriken wasn't aimed at him, but at a rope that he had just heard get cut in two. He jumped to the side again as several knives went through the spot he was just in and hit a tree behind him. As he skidded to a stop, he could hear Sasuke behind him. He immediately turned around and blocked a flying left-legged kick with his left arm. Then, he grabbed Sauke's leg with his right hand. Sasuke twisted in midair, intent on on punching Kakashi in the face with his right hand. Kakashi bent his left arm so that he caught the punch with his left hand. Sasuke twisted yet again, bringing his right leg to come at Kakashi from above. Kakashi lefted both of his arms above his head to block it, dangling Sasuke upside-down in front of him.

Sasuke smirked, causing Kakashi to follow his gaze. He swore under his breath. _The bells!_ Kakashi jerked back just as Sasuke reached for one, and his fingertips touched one, causing it to ring. Kakashi backed off a bit as he let go of Sasuke. "...I'll admit, you certainly _are_ different from anyone I've ever examined..."

Sasuke frowned. "Bah." He quickly placed his hands through a series of six seals, ending in the Tiger seal. _Katon! Goukakyuu no jutsu!_

Kakashi paled at the sight of Sasuke tiliting his head back as he took a deep breath. _What?!? A Genin shouldn't have enough chakra for that kind of jutsu!_ Sasuke exhaled, and a stream of fire came from his mouth, and the area Kakashi was standing in was engulfed in flames for several meters. Sasuke stopped the fire after a moment, and frowned when he saw no trace of Kakashi. _Above? No... to the sides, then? Behind?_

"Below." Sasuke's eyes widened in panic when he felt a hand grab his leg- looking down, he saw that the arm was extending out of the ground. "_Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no jutsu!_" The arm pulled Sasuke into the ground, and after a moment, only his head was left above it. Kakashi appeared in front of him and crouched. "Shinobi fighting lesson #3, Ninjutsu. You're obviously 'ahead' of just about every Genin around in that area, but... hmm." Kakashi had an idea. He rather liked this team, so it would be a shame to let them go to waste for another year. "...why don't you try to get help from one of the others? You might have more of a chance to get a bell..."

Sasuke snarled. "Never! Hinata's the dead last, and Naruto is... is..."

Kakashi frowned under his mask. "The one person in your class who's better than you are." Sasuke remained silent. Kakashi got up and walked away. After a minute, Hinata came along, and she stared at him for a moment before closing her eyes and walked along. "It's just a genjutsu... just a genjutsu..."

Sasuke called out to her, though it hurt his pride to do so. "Hey. Can you help me out of this? I'm kind of stuck in the ground here."

Hinata opened her eyes, and Sasuke was surprised to see how... _intense_ they looked. He could see the veins bulging around them. The veins stopped bulging after a moment, and Hinata made her way over to him. "Ah... sorry. I thought you were a genjutsu..."

After a couple of minutes, they managed to get Sasuke out of the ground. Sasuke looked at his hand as he closed it and opened it. _...well... I could always use her to distract Kakashi and get a bell... I'll try to grab both to make it worth it to her... that way, I can leave Naruto in the dust. _"Hey, Hinata... I have a plan... if you're willing to listen."

--

Kakashi stood in the middle of the clearing, reading his book. _I wonder if he's going to take my advice... _As he turned the page, Hinata burst from the bushes, and charged him, Byakugan activated. He quickly put away the book and put his full attention on the coming fight. _Just because she's the dead last doesn't mean that she isn't dangerous... she's a Hyuuga, after all._ He ducked and dodged every one of her attacks as he moved backwards- there was no way he was going to let one of her chakra-enhanced strikes even get close to him. After a moment, though, Hinata pulled back, and Kakashi wondered why she did that. He looked down, and swore loudly- the bells were gone.

After another moment, Naruto made his presence known. "Kakashi-sensei... I've been doing some planning, and... I think I finally have the right plan down to defeat you."

Kakashi sighed to himself. "Umm... Naruto? There's something that you should know about that..."

Before Kakashi could explain what was going on, Naruto formed the now-familiar cross-shaped seal. "_Kage Bunshin no jutsu!_" What was visible of Kakashi's face paled as a veritible army of Naruto clones surrounded him on all sides. One of the Narutos spoke again. "While a _normal_ direct assault may be useless... surely you're not used to having to fight such large numbers. Charge!"

Kakashi muttered to himself as he began blocking various punches and kicks from different Narutos. He took out a kunai, and began slashing through various Narutos with it. "Now, wait just a minute, Naruto. There's something I need to tell you." However, he could barely hear himself with all of the Narutos giving out various battle cries. After another minute, he got grabbed from behind, and the many Narutos then proceeded to grab each of his limbs, effectively immobilizing him.

Naruto was smiling, obviously proud of his plan. "Alright, then, I'll just take a bell and leave one for one of the others to get... huh? Where are the bells?"

Kakashi growled as he tried to shake off the Narutos. "That's what I've been trying to tell you. Hinata was fighting with me, and I think Sasuke took them while I was distracted."

Naruto blinked as his clones disspelled, and tried not to let his disappointment show. "Oh. Uh... okay then. Well, it's obvious that they're going to be a good team and all, and, er... umm. This means I'm going to be tied to the log, doesn't it." Kakashi nodded.

--

Naruto resigned himself to his fate as he stood tied to the log, Hinata and Sasuke sitting on the ground on either side of him. Kakashi looked at them. "Well... that went far better than I expected. Tell you what, Naruto- since all three of you seem so promising, I'll give you-" He pointed straight at Naruto- "-a second chance. I'm going to leave for a bit, so while I'm gone... I don't want either of you two-" He pointed at Hinata and Sasuke. "-to feed him anything. I know it's going to be hard to fight without breakfast or lunch, but that's his problem, not yours. Got it? Good. See ya!" He disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving the Genin to themselves.

After a few minutes of Sasuke and Hinata eating in silence, Hinata paused. Sasuke glanced at her as she seemed frozen. After another minute, Hinata took another piece of food out of her bento box... and offered it to Naruto. "H-here... you need this more than I do..."

Naruto paled. "H-Hinata! You heard what he said! No feeding me!"

Sasuke scowled. Here came another blow to his pride- helping Naruto. "Just take it. It's not like he _ordered_ us not to feed you, if that's what you're worried about. Plus, we can always just grab lunch later. You're the one who needs it now."

Naruto blushed as his stomach growled. "Well... if you insist..." As he took a bite of Hinata's food, a gigantic explosion of smoke appeared in front of them, followed by great guts of wind. Kakashi walked out of the smoke, obviously irate with them. "YOU....! YOU...!" The sky turned dark, and lightning broke through the clouds. The earth rumbled as Kakashi took steps towards them. "YOU.... pass."

Naruto blinked. "...what?"

Kakashi clapped his hands together, and the clouds dispersed, sunlight shining through once again. "You. You three. You all pass."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "And why do all three of us pass, again?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Well, I was going to pass all three of you anyways, but I wanted to see if you guys were willing to bend the rules a bit... especially Naruto, but you two as well. Those who break the rules are trash... but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. Remember that, alright? Especially you, Naruto. I know you're a stickler for rules, but rules are more like... guidelines, if you will. If a rule is going to get you and your friends killed, it's best to break it. Unless, of course, you broke some law and you're going to be executed, but that's another story. SO, beginning tomorrow, Team Seven will begin its real duties."

Naruto smiled. "So, this is it... for better or worse, I'm a ninja."

Kakashi turned around. "So, then, let's go." Sasuke and Hinata obediently fell in line behind him. Naruto gulped.

"Uh... guys? A little help here?"

Kakashi scratched the back of his head as he turned around. "Oh, uh.... oops. Let's get you out of that, shall we?"

--

**Kasek: **So, yeah. Another chapter done. Sorry that I haven't done anything original yet... I'm working on it, but... it's hard ToT Also, Naruto is drifting away from what I want him to be... I have to work on that.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get over my writer's block for Kitsu Kitsu no Mi... and even BLEACHed. I've got vacation coming up next week, so I'll have plenty of time...


End file.
